Lights, Camera, Action!
by WillowwindTheCat
Summary: Lindsey Sadler is a new Scaring student at Monsters University. But there's a problem: it wasn't by her choice. Lindsey wants her own path, but she knows her family won't allow it. But when temptation calls, Lindsey must make a choice: obeying her family, or becoming independent. Set after Monsters University.
1. Chapter 1

**(I don't own Monsters University, Pixar does. However, Lindsey, I do own, as well as the plot.)**

**Chapter 1**

**The First Day**

* * *

_Where was I? I couldn't make anything out; darkness surrounded me. What was going on? Why was I here? Suddenly, moonlight fell over me. I could now see that I was lying in a bed, and I was in a bedroom of some sort. Toys littered the floor...human toys. How did they get here? No...it wasn't important. I needed to figure out what was going on. I tried to pull the bed sheets off me, but they wouldn't budge, as if they weighed tons. I squirmed, able to bring myself to a sitting position in the bed. I saw that the sheets were a light pink, and the bedroom resembled one of a child's._

_ Oh, no._

_ I was trapped in a human child's bedroom!_

_ "No, no, no," I whispered as I struggled from the bedsheets. "Not this, anything but this!"_

_ I was terrified. If a human were to walk in...I cringed at the thought of dying by their deadly touch. I tugged at the bedsheets harder, but still, they wouldn't budge. Suddenly, there was the sound of hoof-steps. I froze, listening. The bedroom door opened, and I saw a figure. It had hooved feet, a tall, bulky figure, short arms with sharp-fingered hands, bat-like wings, and a head with a crown of horns. I was puzzled. The monster looked familiar...was it my mother? My father? The monster stepped further into the bedroom, and into the light. My eyes widened in horror. I was staring at...myself. Except my doppelganger looked downright evil, sporting glowing red eyes, unlike my normal hazel ones, and she was frothing at the mouth._

_ "Wh-Who are you?" I squeaked fearfully._

_ My doppelganger let out a sinister chuckle, and started stalking towards me._

_ "Best..." she hissed. "Best..."_

_ "Best?" I repeated._

_ "You have to always be the best. Failure will destroy you. You will be the best at Scaring."_

_ "No," I said, shaking my head. "Scaring's not for me. I can't."_

_ "You are a Scarer," my doppelganger snapped, suddenly grasping my shoulders. "You will be a Scarer, and you will be the best."_

_ My doppelganger's voice suddenly morphed into the voice of my father. The memories returned to me...every plea to have my own dreams crushed by my father's cruel words. The doppelganger shook me from my thoughts by gripping me tighter, shaking my body._

_ "Best!" she began to yell. "Best! Best! Best! Best!"_

_ "Stop!" I cried, startled. "Leave me alone!"_

_ Just then, the doppelganger's form changed into a human child that towered over me, her toxic touch burning my skin._

* * *

"Stop..." I mumbled in my sleep. "Let me go...Please..."

"Lindsey," a voice called to me. "Lindsey, wake up!"

Feeling tentacles shaking my body, I managed to escape from the nightmare and wake up. Sitting up, I put my claw to my chest, and I breathed heavily.

"A nightmare..." I whispered.

"You alright, Lindsey?" I heard a voice say. I turned to see my roommate, Diana, beside me, rubbing her tentacles together nervously. I gave her a smile.

"Y-Yeah," I said. "I'm fine, Diana. I just had a nightmare, that's all."

"Ah," Diana replied. "You're nervous about your first day of classes, huh?"

"You could say that," I mumbled as I got out of bed. "We'd better get ready."

Diana nodded, edging to her side of the room as fast as her slug-like body could carry her. I watched her quietly, before forcing myself out of bed. We prepared for Scaring Class. All the while, I was silent, while Diana expressed every hope and wish she had for her Freshman year. While I was amused at her excitement, I couldn't shake away my own misery. We were ready to leave our dorm room after a while. Diana and I left together, entering the crowded hall.

"Let's stop by the cafeteria first," suggested Diana. "I'm hungry."

"Mmm," I replied, nodding.

Off we went, existing the dorm building and into the main building of Monsters University. We went into the crowded cafeteria, and got in line. I ate only a muffin; I wasn't very hungry. Diana, on the other hand, piled her plate with pancakes, bacon, and toast. We sat at a table to eat.

"I hear Dean Hardscrabble's pretty intense," my slug-like companion said in between bites of food. "She kicks students out of the Scaring Program for failing the final exam at the end of the semester. And she's a master at scaring, too. She's going to be hard to impress."

I swallowed. As pleasing as it sounded to get kicked out of the Scaring Program, I knew it would just come back to haunt me. My family wouldn't accept it if I wasn't majoring in Scaring; they'd simply put me into another university or something.

"I hope I'll survive," I said miserably.

Diana paused, looking at me.

"Lindsey, something's wrong," she said, a stern tone in her voice. "What is it? Is this about that nightmare?"

I swallowed, rubbing the back of my neck. Then I sighed.

"I'm just...I'm just really nervous about this new life at MU."

Diana's eyes scanned my face, before she flashed me a smile of reassurance.

"Just relax," she told me. "Take one day at a time, and have some fun. After all, this _is _our freshman year, right."

"I suppose..." I replied. "Thanks for that, Diana. I can always use some cheering up."

"Of course. You're my roommate, and my new friend."

I felt a smile tug at my lips.

* * *

Diana wasn't lying when she said that Dean Hardscrabble was intense. I could still feel my heart racing after the she-monster in question had returned to the shadows from which she had come from. Diana was also right in the fact that failing the final exam resulted in getting kicked out of the Scaring Program. And that was something I didn't want.

The class first assignment was textbook work. How fun... I opened my textbook, pulled out some paper, and silently began to work.

""Problem One"..." I read to myself. ""A 5-year-old boy has a fear of the dark and spiders. Why would "Midnight Crawler" be an effective scare on him?"" I sighed. "I don't know and I don't care."

"I don't think that's the right answer, Lindsey," Diana whispered to me, a chuckle in her voice.

"I know, I know," I replied.

I flipped through my textbook, finding the scare in question. I read about it a bit, before returning to my work and answering the question.

""Midnight Crawler" would be an effective scare due to the fact that a monster must assume the position of a spider, while at the same time using the darkness of a child's bedroom to their advantage," I wrote.

"One down...49 to go..." I said.

The minutes seemed to drag on and on and on. I felt as if I'd go crazy, and Scaring Class wasn't even half-way over. I dropped my pencil and rubbed my aching claw. I had finished most of the questions, but I was so uninterested that I just couldn't go on. I looked up at the roof, where the windows were. I gazed through them, my mind blank. I wasn't sure how long I was out, but I was shaken from my stupor by Diana some time later.

"Lindsey," she whispered. "The professor's calling you."

I blinked, staring ahead to see Professor Knight staring at me.

"Ms. Sadler, is it?" Professor Knight. "May I see what you've done so far?"

"Oh," I began, my cheeks warming up. I looked down at my paper; only 35 questions were complete. "Y-Yes, sir..."

I grabbed my paper, got up from my seat, made my way down the steps and to Professor Knight. I gave it to him, and watched nervously as he examined my work. After a few minutes, he glanced up at me.

"You're not finished, but your work is correct," he said calmly.

I wasn't sure what to do but nod.

"Demonstrate to me the scare, "Rattler Lunge"," the professor suddenly demanded.

"O-Oh...uh...yes, sir..." I stuttered.

Taking a breath, I stepped back to give myself room. I felt myself being watched by my peers, and I grew even hotter under my fur. I swallowed, closed my eyes, and did the scare. I crouched low, before slowly springing up, and lunging forward, making a noise at the same time that was similar to a rattlesnake's rattle.

"Hmm, very good, Ms. Sadler," Professor Knight said to me. "You're smart, and I know you'll do excellent in my class. But please stay focused."

I nodded, taking my paper.

"Thank you, professor," I said, retreating to my seat. "Back to work, I guess..."

* * *

I was still hot, even after class had ended. It was lunchtime for Diana and I now. We sat together, and, once again, she ate much, while I ate little.

"You did pretty good with that scare in Scaring Class, Lindsey," Diana told me.

"Thanks," I said, looking away. It felt weird, getting praised for doing good at something I didn't like. "I'm sure others can do better. I'm just a freshman; the senior know more than me. Besides, there are fraternities and sororities that are better. What am I?"

Diana touched my hand with her tentacle.

"You're Lindsey Sandler, silly," she joked.

I smiled.

"I know...But still-"

"No "buts", Lindsey," said my friend with a stern tone. "Now listen. Tonight, there's going to be a huge fraternity and sorority party on the campus. We're going, ok?"

"I don't know," I said awkwardly. "Parties aren't my thing. Too loud."

"Lindsey," Diana began, narrowing her eyes. "If you don't come with me to this party, I'm make you run through campus wearing only a bikini."

I laughed.

"Alright, alright," I said between giggles. "I'll go. But please don't make me do _that_."

* * *

"My first college party," gasped Diana as we approached the Greek Life buildings. "This is gonna be so awesome!"

I chuckled at my friend's enthusiasm. I only wished that I could be as excited as she was. But, I'd have to deal with it; I didn't want to embarress myself in front of the entire university. So, I put on a smile, and forced myself to be happy.

"EEEEEEKKKKKK!"

I jumped when Diana suddenly let out a squeal.

"Lindsey, look! Roar Omega Roar! The best Scarers on campus."

I looked in the direction Diana looked, and I saw the fraternity members. I recognized them from the pamphlet I got before I came to MU. There was Johnny Worthington, the leader, and members Chet, Javier, Reggie, and Chip. At the moment, they were talking to other monsters. I gazed down at Diana. She was watching them with a blush on her cheeks and a look of longing in her eyes. I chuckled slightly at that.

"I'm gonna go talk to them," Diana said in a dreamy voice. "Lindsey, you go have fun. And don't leave; I'll know."

Diana slowly wiggled away, towards the Roar Omega Roar members. Now, I was alone, surrounded by monsters that were more sociable than I was. I fidgeted awkwardly. Finally, I sighed, and joined Diana. Now that I was in earshot, I could hear Johnny discussing Scaring techniques to the other monsters. Nothing I was interested in, though. As I quietly sat and listened to the conversation. But as I did, I noticed out of the corner of my eye, someone watching the fraternity members from afar. I turned my head to see another monster, a lizard-like one. He stood in the shadows, his squinted eyes watching the ROR members. But he noticed me looking at him, and disappeared. I blinked, rubbing my eyes. Odd...Who was that monster, and where did he go? Who knows...

* * *

I'd probably have that nightmare again tonight. I lied in bed, staring at the ceiling. Diana was asleep in her bed. She had been out for a while; she fainted at the party when Johnny winked at her. Luckily, it was a good excuse to leave the party. I closed my eyes; I was so tired. But the nightmares would come again, I knew it. My father's voice would continue to haunt me, and there was nothing I could do about it. A tear ran down my cheek. What a miserable day this was...


	2. Chapter 2

**(I don't own Monsters University, Pixar does. However, Lindsey, I do own, as well as the plot.)**

**Chapter 2**

**Good At What You Hate, Great At What You Love**

* * *

"Everyone, into position!"

I, as well as the rest of the class, followed Professor Knight's instructions. We all stood with our arms raised and our teeth bared. Mr. Knight walked through the space between the students, a serious look on his face, and his hands behind his back. Suddenly, he turned to one student, and tapped their chin to raise their head higher. He walked on.

"We shall begin today by working on a few Scaring techniques," said Professor Knight.

I sighed internally.

"_Of course_," I thought.

He paused at a student.

"Crackle Holler," he said.

The student raised his head, and let out a trembling yell that caused my heart to skip a beat.

"Good."

Mr. Knight continued, pausing in front of Diana. He looked down at her.

"Slasher Smile."

Diana's eyes widened, and she smiled an large, unsettling smile. I'd be seeing it in my nightmares tonight.

"Very nice," the professor commented. He then looked at me. "Night Flyer."

I swallowed, stretching the wings on my back. I flew into the air, and swiftly flew around Professor Knight while mimicking the sound of a bat.

"Impressive," he said with a nod of approval.

Professor Knight walked on. I sighed in relief. I felt hot under my fur; showing off my skills in front of others was something I couldn't do very well without getting embarrassed. Diana looked at me.

"You were awesome," she whispered with a smile.

One could melt ice on my cheeks due to how hot they were. I feared I would pass out if I went on like this. But regardless of that, I nodded.

"Thanks," I replied.

"You're sure to make it into one of the best sororities on campus if you keep that up."

I nodded again, looking away from her. It was then I noticed that the monster standing in front of me was the same reptilian monster from last night. My eyes widened, and a soft gasp escaped my lips. The monster noticed my gaze, and jumped slightly in surprise. He didn't disappear, though. Instead, he looked away. I was curious, but I said nothing.

* * *

I was on my own. Diana was with a couple of new friends she made during the party. She had offered me to hang out with them, but I declined. We made a compromise that I would spend the day with Diana's friends tomorrow. But today, I wanted some alone time.

_Flap! Flap! Flap!_

My wings made slow, repetitive thumps as I flew over the campus, a satchel over my shoulder. As miserable as I was to be in the Scaring program, I had to admit, the place was so beautiful. If I were majoring in something I liked, things would be a whole lot better. Oh well, the place was pretty, so that was a plus, I guess. I spotted an empty bench, and I swooped down. I landed on the grass, folded back my wings, and gingerly took a seat.

"Hey!" a voice suddenly cried.

"Oh!" I gasped, jumping up.

Looking down at bench, I realized that I had sat on the reptilian monster from before.

"I am so...SO sorry!" I yelped. "Really, I didn't know you were-"

"It's fine, it's fine, don't worry about it," the monster said, he voice calm. He got up from the bench. "I'll just go."

"No," I said. "You don't have to leave. You must've been comfortable on that bench before I sat I you. I'll go."

"It's not like you knew," said the monster, his eyes not meeting mine. "I was the one who decided sitting on a bench while invisible was a good idea."

I was quiet for a moment, before whispering,

"Let's sit on the bench together, yeah?"

The monster shrugged, sitting back down. I sat beside him, slipping my satchel from my shoulder. Reaching into it, I pulled out a sketchpad. I looked around for some inspiration, before I spotted something: a two-headed pigeon. I stared at it, my claw drawing away as if it as a mind of its own. I was drawing a storyboard. Storyboards, in my opinion, told much better stories than ones written on paper. It was a favorite pass-time of mind. This storyboard was about a lost, two-headed pigeon named Harold who longed to find his family. Ha...it was funny. Harold's family was quite nice in comparison to mine, considering I was the one who created it...

"You draw pretty good, you know," the other monster's voice said beside me, breaking my concentration.

I looked to him, my cheeks heated. I hadn't thought he'd see my work. Quickly, I looked away.

"Thanks," I murmured.

I heard him muttering something under his breath, something about glasses. I decided not to pry. I cleared my throat; maybe I could maintain a simple conversation with this monster without submitting to my social awkwardness.

"It that, like, your special skill?" I asked. "Turning invisible?"

"It's camouflage," the monster corrected me. "And yes, it is."

"I wish I could do that sometimes," I said, envy in my voice. "I'm afraid I'll really embarrass myself in front of the other students one of these days."

The other monster scoffed.

"How?" he asked. "You look like you could be a pretty good Scarer from what I've seen you do in class."

"You think so?" I replied. "Gee...thanks...uh...I'm Lindsey. Lindsey Sadler."

"Randy...no...Randall. Randall Boggs."

"Nice to meet you, Randall."

Randall nodded slightly. I looked at my storyboard, before slipping it away.

"You're not going to draw more?" asked Randall, glancing at me.

"Artist's block," I explained simply. "Besides, it's nothing important. I'm not majoring in film."

"That looked like something a Film student would do, but fine."

We were quiet for a while. The sun passed overhead, the sky turning more and more orange. I suddenly thought of another question.

"Why were you sitting invisible on the bench?" I asked softly.

Randall shot a glance at me, before sighing, looking into the distance.

"I didn't want anyone seeing me."

"Why?"

"It's not important."

"But you aren't invisible now."

Randall looked at me once again, before suddenly disappearing.

"See you in class," I heard Randall's voice say, before the shuffling of grass signaled that he had gone. I remained on the bench alone.

* * *

I glanced at each page of my storyboard, having pinned each one of them to the wall. I looked at each image, as well as each quote. I was moved at my own work, laughing at funny scenes and tearing up at sad scenes. Diana did the same. Yes, she was reading along with me.

"I didn't know you could make comics, Lindsey," my friend chirped.

I chuckled slightly.

"It's not a comic, silly," I replied. "It's a storyboard. Films use these to set up scenes in movies."

"Oh. Cool. You make movies?"

"I used to, when I was little," I explained. "My mom would let me take her camera and film. It was good, for a kid, at least. My dad wasn't a big fan of my interests, though. He would take my camera and tell me to think more about Scaring. He was an MU graduate, the same as my mom, and so were other members in my family. Scaring is what my family does, and it's what I'm required to do."

"Really?" Diana said, tilting her head. "You majored in Scaring because of your dad?"

I nodded.

"...So...you hate Scaring?"

"Don't get me wrong, I don't _hate _it exactly...I'm just interested in other things. And..." Here I swallowed. "Scaring is pretty scary to me..."

Diana looked at me, wide-eyed and mouth-agape. I looked away, cringing, ready for laughter. I had gone through this before. I told few others about this, family mostly, but also the few friends I managed to make in my life. And everyone I told, laughed. But, to my surprise, it didn't come this time. I looked at Diana. She was still staring at me, but I could still see the confusion in her eyes. I sighed.

"Let me explain..." I grumbled. "Scaring's risky. You could get killed by a human's touch, or caught and experimented on by humans. It's like kicking a hornet's nest. Why do it? You're only putting your life in danger."

Diana nodded slowly as I spoke, starting to understand.

"I guess it's the thrill Scarers get from it," Diana said. "And besides, we're working to power the city. That means more lights, more electronics, more everything, really."

"I know, I know...But still, I'm not interested in near-death experiences, something my dad fails to realize. "Lindsey, we're Jersey Devils. Our legend has lived on for centuries and you'll continue that legend." That's all he ever says whenever I try to stand up to him. So why bother complaining, eh?"

In my moment of bitterness, I got up and ripped my storyboards from the wall. I crumbled them up and threw them away. There was no point in keeping them; I was no Film student, and I wouldn't be making a movie out of them. I crawled into bed, throwing the covers over myself. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes again.


End file.
